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Advocate at 200: Explosives helps production at Newark gas well

Every Saturday in 2020 The Advocate will publish a historic article in celebration of its bicentennial. To suggest a story to resurrect from our archives, send an an email to advocate@newarkadvocate.com.

This story appeared in the Jan. 21, 1894 edition under the headline "Quite A Gusher." It included an artist's rendering of a gas well.

Quite A Gusher

Is the Forry Gas Well in West Newark

By shooting the Well the Flow is Increased to More Than 500,000 Cubic Feet Per Day.

Our new gas well out on the Forry place in West Newark, has proved to be quite a "gusher." For some days preparations have been going on to "shoot" the well. Last night at six o'clock all was in readiness, the well having been cleaned and put in condition for the explosion.

Mr. B.E. Dow of Lima had charge of the shooting. Mr. Dow came in a buggy from Lima with the explosive, nitro glycerine, spending two days on the way. A twelve foot cartridge containing twenty-five quarts of the explosive was lowered to a depth of 2406 feet and fired, it taking twenty minutes to lower the cartridge. The report was terrific, stones and mud being thrown to a great height, much higher than the top of the frame derrick. The reason for shooting the well is to loosen the earth and permit the gas confined in the ground to escape into the opening.

Before the shooting there was a flow of about 300,000 cubic feet per day; afterwards it was increased to over 500,000 cubic feet.

While there are two larger wells than this in the city, the officers of the Natural Gas Company are well satisfied with the outcome from the Forry well. Connections with the mains will be made at once. Drilling on this well was begun on the fourth of November and has been constantly kept up by the contractors, Messrs. Hugoboon and Bunnell.